Your Directors are pleased to present the Thirty Seventh (37th) Annual
Report and the audited financial statements of the Company, for the financial year ended
31.03.2024
FINANCIAL SUMMARY/ REVIEW OF OPERATIONS/ STATE OF COMPANY?S
AFFAIRS
Following is the analysis of the standalone financial statements of the
Company during the year under review:
Particulars |
F.Y 2023-2024 |
F.Y 2022-2023 |
Total income from operations |
341.89 |
305.25 |
Profit from operations before interest, other income and
exceptional items |
12.10 |
8.54 |
Tax Expense |
183.35 |
2.42 |
Profit after tax |
10.27 |
6.12 |
Total Comprehensive Income |
10.62 |
6.35 |
Earnings per share (In Rs) Basic: |
6.72 |
3.90 |
Diluted: |
6.75 |
3.94 |
The Company continues to be engaged in development, manufacturing and
sale of specialty pharmaceutical formulations and bulk drugs with specific emphasis on
branded generics in various therapeutic segments in India and more than 30 countries
worldwide.
During the year under review, Revenue from Operations stood at
Rs.338.53 cr., a 10.46% higher than the previous year. Profit before tax stood at Rs.12.10
cr. a 29.4% higher then the previous year. PAT for the year under review stood at Rs.10.27
Cr which is 40 % higher then that of the previous year's PAT Exports contributed 61% of
the total revenue and 39% revenue is generated by domestic sales.
Highlights of Company's performance are covered in detail in the
Management Discussion and Analysis Report (MDA), included in this Annual Report as
required under Schedule V of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.
DIVIDEND
The Board of Directors is pleased to recommend a Dividend of Rs.1.20/-
per Equity Share of Rs.10/- each, i.e 12% of the Equity Share Capital of the Company
thereby appropriating an amount of Rs 1,89,65,246 Crores towards Dividend distribution ,
for the F.Y 2023-24.
UNCLAIMED DIVIDEND
Section 124 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Investor Education and
Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016 (the Rules)
provides that the dividend that has remained unclaimed or unpaid for a period of seven
years is to be transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF). Further, the
Rules mandate that the shares on which dividend has not been paid or claimed for seven
consecutive years or more shall also be transferred to the IEPF. During the year under
review, the Company has transferred 10,012
Equity Shares of the shareholders, whose dividend is outstanding for 7
consecutive years and an amount of Rs 2,62,812/- pertaining to the outstanding/unclaimed
dividend amount for the F.Y 2015-16, to the IEPF account as per the Investor Education and
Protection Fund Authority (Accounting,Audit,Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016.
Details of the shareholders whose shares and unpaid dividend that was
transferred to the IEPF a/c is updated on Company's website www.balpharma.com.
Shareholders holding shares in physical form are advised to encash
their Dividend on time to avoid transfer of their shares to IEPF account.
TRANSFERTO RESERVE
The Company does not propose to transfer any amount to general
reserves.
SHARE CAPITAL
Rs.15,80,43,720/- comprising of 1,58,04,372 Equity Shares of Rs.10 each
is the Issued and Paid Up Capital of the Company as on 31.03.2024.
During the financial year 2023-24 the Company has vested 1,14,500 (One
Lakh Fourteen Thousand Five Hundred) stock options to the permanent and eligible employees
of the Company under Bal Pharma Ltd - Employees Stock Option Scheme - 2014, with each
option convertible into l(one ) Equity Share of Rs.10 (Rupees Ten only) each of the
Company.
During the financial year 2023-24 the Company has not issued any Equity
Shares with differential voting rights, nor issued sweat Equity Shares.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Annual consolidated and standalone financial statements together
with the Auditors Reports' is annexed to this report, for the financial year ended
31.03.2024.
DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
The Board of Directors the Company comprise of renowned professionals
from different walks of life. They bring in diversified competencies, domain knowledge and
experience. Right combination of Executive and Independent Directors draws fine balance of
business acumen and independent judgement on Board's decisions. During the year under
review, none of the Non-Executive Directors had any pecuniary relationship or transactions
with the Company, other than sitting fees, commission and reimbursement of expenses, if
any
Reappointment of Managing Director : Mr. Shailesh Siroya's ( DIN #
00048109) tenure of Managing Director of the Company ends on
31.07.2024 and based on the recommendation of the Nomination and
Remuneration Committee, the Board of Directors at its meeting held on
28.05.2024 appointed Mr. Shailesh Siroya as Managing Director of the
Company for a further period of 5 years. This reappointment is subject to the approval of
the shareholders at the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Reappointment of Whole Time Director:
Based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee, the Board of Director of the Company at its meeting held on 28.05.2024
reappointed Mr.HimeshVirupakshya (DIN # 08554422 ) as Whole Time Director of the Company
for a further period of 5 years starting from 01.08.2024.
Retirement by Rotation:
Mr. Kotian Chittanand Damodar ( DIN # 09613054) retires by rotation at
the ensuing AGM and is eligible for reappointment. The Board recommends his
re-appointment.
Independent Directors:
All the Independent Directors have confirmed that they continue to meet
the criteria of independence as laid down under Section 149(6) of the Act and under the
Listing Regulations. They have registered their names in the Independent Directors
data-base and have passed the proficiency test, if applicable. They have also affirmed
compliance to the Code of Conduct for Independent Directors.
Based on disclosures provided by them, none of them is
disqualified/debarred from being appointed as Director under Section 164 of the Act/SEBI
order or any other authority and are independent from the management.The Board is of the
opinion that the Independent Directors possess requisite qualifications, experience and
expertise in the fields of manufacturing, operations, finance, forex, people management,
strategy, sales & marketing, auditing, banking, risk management and they hold high
standards of integrity. Skill set, expertise & competencies matrix of all the
Directors is provided in the Report on Corporate Governance forming part of this Annual
Report.
There are no changes in the composition of the Board or Key Managerial
Personnel of the Company during the year under review.
AUDITORS AND AUDITORS REPORT
Statutory Auditors:
Messrs SSJNB & Co, Chartered Accountants (FRN # 013976S) were
appointed as Statutory Auditors of the Company from the conclusion of 35th Annual General
Meeting held on 19.09.2022 up to the conclusion of 40th Annual General Meeting i.e for a
period of 5 years.
There are no observations or remarks on the audited accounts of the
Company by the statutory auditors, for the financial year ended
31.03.2024 except as stated in point # (ix) a in CARO report. The
management would like to clarify that the delay in repayment of term loan and vehicle
loans as stated by the auditors is due to the banks not honoring the debit mandated
provided by the company, in timely manner. Public holidays and banks internal procedural
issues has resulted in marginal delays in repayment of loans.
Cost Auditors:
As required by the provisions of Section 148 of the Companies Act,20i3,
Mr. M.R Krishna Murthy, Cost Accountant, (FCMA # 7568) was reappointed as the Cost Auditor
of the Company for the financial year 2023-24, to conduct cost audit of the cost records
maintained by the Company.
Cost Audit Report for the FY 2022- 2023 has been filed with the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 20.10.2023.
Secretarial Auditor:
Pursuant to Section 204 of the Companies Act,2013 and rules made
thereunder and in compliance with Regulation 24 A of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, Mr.
Parameshwar G Bhat, Practising Company Secretary (CP # 11004) was appointed by the Board
of Directors as the Secretarial Auditor of the Company for the financial year 2023-2024.
Secretarial Audit Report for the F.Y 2023-24 in Form MR-3 is annexed to
this report as Annexure -2. No comments or remarks were made by the Auditor in his report
for the FY 2023-24.
Internal Auditors:
Messrs Murugesh & Co, Chartered Accountants (M # 002233S) were
appointed as the Internal Auditors of the Company for the FY 2023-24 and the internal
audit reports issued by them were periodically reviewed by the Audit Committee and the
Management of the Company is appraised about the observations of the internal auditor and
on corrective actions, if any, that needs to be taken.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The Risk Management Committee of the Company comprising of the
functional heads of the Company submits its periodical report to the Board of Directors on
the measures to be taken for mitigation of potential risk factors that may affect the
business of the Company.
The Risk Management Policy implemented by the Company which is designed
to enable risks to be identified, assessed and mitigated appropriately, is available on
the website of the Company https://www.balpharma.com/fin
INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONTROL SYSTEM AND ITS ADEQUACY
Your Company has an adequate system of internal controls with clearly
defined authority limits. Internal controls ensure that the Company's assets are protected
against loss from unauthorised use or disposition and all transactions are authorised,
recorded and reported in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. These
systems are designed to ensure accuracy and reliability of accounting data, promotion of
operational efficiency and adherence to the prescribed management principles. These
policies are periodically reviewed to meet business requirements. The Company has in place
adequate internal financial controls with respect to financial statements.
DIRECTORS? RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
In compliance with the provisions of Section 134(5) of the Companies
Act, 2013, your Directors wish to confirm:
i.That in preparing the annual accounts, all the applicable accounting
standards had been followed along with proper explanation relating to material departures.
2. That the Directors had selected such accounting policies and applied
them consistently and made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as
to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at the end of the
Financial year and of the profit of the Company for that period.
3. That the Directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the
maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act
for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing / detecting fraud and other
irregularities.
4. That the Directors had prepared the annual accounts on a going
concern basis.
5. That the Directors had laid down internal financial controls to be
followed by the Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and are
operating effectively.
6. That the Company had devised proper systems to ensure compliance
with the provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems are adequate and
operating effectively.
RELATED PARTYTRANSACTIONS (RPTs)
All contracts /arrangements / transactions entered by the Company
during the financial year with related parties were in ordinary course of business and at
arms' length basis and the same were undertaken after prior omnibus approval of the Audit
Committee.
During the year, the Company has not entered into any
contract/arrangement/transaction with the related parties that could be considered as
material, as per the policy of the Company on materiality of related party transactions.
There were no materially significant related party transactions which
could have potential conflict with the interests of the Company at large.
The Company's policy on the related party transactions as approved by
the Board can be accessed from the website i.e https://www.balpharma.com/balpharmacom.fin.
Details of disclosure relating to the related party transactions under
Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013, forms part of the notes to the financial
statements provided in this annual report.
Statement of the related party transactions as approved by the Board,
for the financial year 2023.24 in Form AOC-2 is annexed to this report in Annexure- 3.
All the RPTs undertaken during the financial year are disclosed in the
notes to the financial statements. For Further Details, your attention is drawn to the
Related Party disclosures set out in the Standalone Financial Statements.
SUBSIDIARY, JOINT VENTURE AND ASSOCIATE COMPANIES
During the year under review, the following Companies continued to be
the subsidiaries of Bal Pharma Ltd.A report on the financial performance of each of the
subsidiaries as per Section 129(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 in the prescribed format
AOC-1 is provided in Annexure- 4 to the Board's Report and hence not repeated here, for
the sake of brevity:-
Sl Name of the No Company/LLP |
Nature of Business |
% of stake with Bal Pharma, as on 31.03.2024 |
1 Lifezen Healthcare |
Marketing of |
99.40% |
Private Limited. |
OTC products. |
|
2 Bal Research |
Research and |
80% |
Foundation |
Development. |
|
3 Balance Clinics LLP. |
Diabetic care clinics. |
80% |
4 Golden Drugs Private Limited. |
Manufacturing of API's |
100% |
5 Aurum Research |
Research and |
|
and Analytical Solution |
Development. |
95% |
Private Limited. |
|
|
SECRETARIAL STANDARDS
Secretarial Standards i.e SS1 & SS2 issued by the Institute of
Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) relating to the Meetings of Board of Directors and
General Meetings, respectively have been duly followed by the Company.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
The Company has received declarations from all the Independent
Directors confirming that they meet the criteria of independence, as prescribed under
Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013.
The Independent Directors have also confirmed under Regulation 16(b) of
SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 that they are not Non-Independent Director of another
Company on the Board of which any nonindependent Director of the listed entity is an
independent Director.
The Company has devised a policy for familiarization of Independent
Directors on their roles, rights, responsibilities with the Company and the said policy is
available on the Company's website www.balpharma.com.
BOARD EVALUATION
The Company has devised a policy for performance evaluation of the
Board, Committees and Individual Directors. The evaluation process among others considers
attendance of Directors at the Board and Committee Meetings, acquaintance with business,
communication within the Board members, effective participation, domain knowledge,
compliance with the internal code of conduct, vision and strategy.
The Company has also in place a Policy for Nomination and Remuneration
of KMPs, Senior Management personnel and Directors of the Company, which is in compliance
with Section 178 of the Companies Act, 2013. Policy guiding the nomination and
remuneration of the Directors and KMP's can be accessed from the Company's website
https://www.balpharma.com/balpharmacom/pdf/investors/irl/Nominati
on%20and%20Remuneration%20Policy.pdf
The Board carried out annual performance evaluation of itself,
Committees, Individual Directors and Chairman at their Meeting held on 12/02/2024.
Report on performance evaluation of the individual Directors, and
Committees was reviewed by the Chairman and feedback was given to the Directors. The Board
has expressed satisfaction over the overall functioning of the Board Members and their
Committees, which are in line with the objectives and goals of the Company.
MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
The intervening gap between two Board Meetings was within the maximum
period prescribed under the Act. The detailed information regarding Board and Committee
meetings held during the year under review is furnished in the Corporate Governance Report
which is forming part of this Report.
VIGIL MECHANISM
The vigil mechanism of the Company which also incorporates Whistle
Blower Policy as prescribed by SEBI(LODR) Regulations, 2015 includes compliance task force
comprising of senior executives of the Company.
The policy of whistle blower is available on the Company's website. The
policy is reviewed by the Audit Committee from time to time and no concerns and/or
irregularities were reported by the employees till date. Please access the Company's
website https://www.balpharma.com/wbp to refer to the whistle blower policy of the
Company.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION, FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTFLOW
As per the provisions of Section 134 of the Companies Act, 2013,
details relating to the conservation of energy, technology absorption, foreign exchanges
earnings and outflow are given as Annexure -5 to this report.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Board of Directors reaffirm is continued commitment to good
Corporate Governance & ethical practices. The Company is committed to maintain highest
standard of Corporate Governance and elevating the same to the best global practices.
Report on Corporate Governance for the year under review, forms part of this report. A
certificate from Mr.Vijayakrishna K.T , Practising Company Secretary confirming compliance
with Corporate Governance requirements as stipulated under the Listing Regulations, is
annexed and forms part of this report as Annexure-6.
PARTICULARS OF LOANS GIVEN, INVESTMENTS MADE, GUARANTEE?S GIVEN OR
SECURITY PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY
The Company makes investments and trade advances to its subsidiaries
for their business purpose. Details of loans, investments and advances covered under
Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013, form part of the notes to the financial statements
annexed to this report.
DEPOSITS
Your Company has not accepted any deposits from the public falling
within the purview of Section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Companies
(Acceptance of Deposit) Rules, 2014 and as such, no amount on account of principal or
interest on deposits from public was outstanding as on the date of the balance sheet.
Disclosure as per the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Second
Amendment Rules, 2015.
The Company has not accepted any unsecured loan from the Directors
_of the Company and/or relatives of the Directors during the year under
consideration.
MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS AFFECTING THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF
THE COMPANY BETWEEN THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR AND UP TOTHE DATE OFTHIS REPORT
There have been no material changes or commitments affecting the
financial position of the Company between the end of the financial year and as on the date
of this report.There has been no change in the nature of business or constitution of the
Company.
ANNUAL RETURN
Pursuant to Section 92(3) read with Section I34(3)(a) of the Act, Copy
of the Annual Return as on March 31st, 2024 is available on the Company's website
www.balpharma.com.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)
As per the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, the
Company has constituted a CSR Committee. As on the date of report following is the
composition:
1. Dr. C.V Srinivas |
- Chairman |
2. Mr. H SVenkatesh |
- Member |
3. Mr. Shailesh Siroya |
- Member |
4. Mr.Jatish Sheth |
- Member |
The Committee has formulated a Corporate Social Responsibility policy
which recommends the social activities to be undertaken by the Company, as specified in
ScheduleVII of the Companies Act, 20I3.A copy of the said policy is available on the
website i.e https://www.balpharma.com/balpharmacom/pdf/finance/irl/CSR%20Pol
icy%202022.pdf.
The Committee has approved CSR budget of Rs 20,35,642 (Rupees Twenty
Lakhs Thirty Five Thousand Six Hundred and Forty Two only ) for the financial year 2023-24
as per the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013.
Sl. Name of the Activity |
Agency through which the activity is implemented. |
Amount Spent in Rs. |
01 Dialysis for patients with kidney malfunction |
Jain Mission Trust, Chikkaballapur |
5,50,000 |
02 Various support services for poor and needy patients. |
Bhagwan Mahaveer Memorial Jain Trust. Bangalore |
6,00,000 |
03 Financial support to orphanage. |
Friends for Sick Association, Bangalore. |
1,50,000 |
04 Financial support to the poor and needy students. |
Swamy Vivekananda Vidya Niketana, Bangalore. |
1,50,000 |
05 Donation of medical equipment to Primary health centre's
at KSRP 3rd Battalion, Koramangala and Halanayakahalli, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore |
Rotary Bangalore Brigades |
2,50,000 |
06 Scholarships for poor and needy children studying in
Adarsh group of Institutions |
Adarsh Vidya Sangh |
1,50,000 |
07 Donation of medical equipment and consumables to D.R Ranka
Dialysis Centre, Bangalore. |
Karnataka Marwari Youth Federation |
2,00,000 |
The brief outline of the CSR policy of the Company and the initiatives
undertaken by the Company on CSR activities during the year are set out in Annexure- 7 of
this report in the format prescribed in the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility
Policy) Rules, 2014.
HUMAN RESOURCE, HEALTH AND SAFETY
Human Resources are invaluable assets and Company is committed to
provide conducive environment that values their contribution and provides them
opportunities to grow. It invests in their training and professional development to equip
them with the necessary skills, domain expertise and latest technology in line with the
business strategy. The Company is dedicated to the protection of human health, safety,
environment and maintains highest standards of health and safety in all its plants and
facilities.This commitment forms the basis for our EHS management systems and governance.
MANAGERIAL REMUNERATION AND PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
There were 865 permanent employees of the Company as of 31 March 2024.
The information pursuant to Rule (1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of
Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 is annexed to this report as "Annexure 8".
Information pursuant to Rule 5(2) & 5(3) of the Companies (Appointment and
Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 also forms part of this report pursuant
to Section 136(1) of the Act. Any shareholder interested in obtaining a copy of the same
may write to the Company Secretary at the registered office address of the Company.
LISTING WITH STOCK EXCHANGES
The Equity Shares of the Company continued to be listed on BSE Limited,
and National Stock Exchange of India Limited, and the Company has paid the annual listing
fees for F.Y 2023-24 to the Exchanges.
CEO & CFO CERTIFICATION:
The CEO and CFO of the Company in their submission to the Board have
confirmed that the annual financial statements present a true and fair view of the
Company's affairs and do not omit any material facts, which may make the statements or
figures contained therein either misleading or false.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
The Management of the Company wishes to confirm that all the movable,
immovable and current assets of the Company are covered with comprehensive and adequate
insurance cover.
CREDIT RATING
The discipline with which the Company conducts its financial
transactions is reflected in the BBB- rating given by the credit rating agency Acute for
the financial year 2023-2024. The Management of the Company aims at further improving its
credit rating during the current financial year.
DISCLOSURE UNDER THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE
(PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT, 2013.
The Company has in place an anti-sexual harassment policy on lines with
the requirements of the sexual harassment of women at the workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. All the employees of the Company either they are
permanent, contractual, temporary or trainees, are covered by the policy.
The following is the summery of the Complaints regarding sexual
harassment, received and redressed during the financial year 2023-24.
Number of Complaints received during the year |
: Nil |
Number of Complaints resolved |
: NA |
Number of Complaints pending at the end of the year |
: NA |
REVISION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENT ORTHE REPORT:
As per the Secretarial Standards-4 in case the Company has revised its
financial statement or the Report in respect of any of the three preceding financial years
either voluntarily or pursuant to the order of a judicial authority, the detailed reasons
for such revision shall be disclosed in the Report of the year as well as in the Report of
the relevant financial year in which such revision is made.
There is no revision of Financial Statement of the Company that took
place in any of the three preceding financial years, under consideration.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Your Directors report that no disclosure or reporting is required in
respect of the following items as there were no transactions on these items during the
year under review:
1) Transfer to Reserves
2) Deposits accepted by the Company
3) Issue of equity shares with differential rights as to dividend,
voting or otherwise
4) Provision of money for the purchase of its own shares by employees
or by trustee for the benefit of employees
5) Revision in the financial statements
6) 'Change in the nature of company's business
7) Suspension of Company's securities
8) Failure to implement Corporate Action, One-time settlement
9) Material changes and commitments affecting financial position of the
Company between the end of the financial year and the date of this report
10) No significant or material orders passed by the Regulators or
Courts or Tribunals which could impact the going concern status of the Company and its
future operations
11) Application or proceedings made under the Indian Bankruptcy Code,
2016.
APPRECIATION:
Your Directors place on record earnest appreciation for the
contribution made by each and every employee of the Company during the year under review.
Company's consistent growth was made possible by their hard work, solidarity, cooperation
and dedication.The Directors also wish to express their gratitude to the Investors for the
confidence and faith that they continued to repose in the Company. Board takes this
opportunity to thank all shareholders, analysts, business partners, government and
regulatory authorities, financial institutions, banks, distributors, suppliers, business
associates, medical professionals and customers for their continued guidance,
encouragement and support.